Chapter One Captain Morgan We were never meant to be together. She’s a smart-mouthed journalist who’s just as stubborn as I am, and I’m a ruthless marauder with a dark past that would make her run screaming if she knew the truth about me. But she’s the only one who can help me find the treasure. And for the first time in my life, I’m not sure I want to be alone. The ocean’s a rough mistress, indifferent to the struggles of those who dare to challenge it. But her beauty is unrivaled and worth every sacrifice. Especially when I’m the one who gets to claim her. Lily Thompson He’s a reclusive billionaire who’s as damaged as he is handsome. And though he might be a pirate, I’m not willing to hand over my heart to him on a silver platter without a fight. Because love is something you have to work for, and I’m not afraid of a little hard work. Even if it kills me. I’m not cut out to be a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. But Alex is the only one who can save me when I’m taken hostage aboard our ship. And he just might be the one who steals my heart in the process. Captain Morgan The sea is a fickle mistress. One moment she’s gentle and inviting, her waves lapping at your feet like an old lover welcoming you home. But another moment and she’s cold, angry—her fury rising up to wreck havoc on all who dare to cross her path. I know this better than anyone. Her rage has been my closest companion for as long as I can remember. And it was on one of those darker nights, when she’d turned on me yet again in an effort to force me to surrender, that I met the woman who would ultimately change everything. The one who would bring me to my knees. We were never meant to be together. She’s a smart-mouthed journalist who’s just as stubborn as I am, and I’m a ruthless marauder with a dark past that would make her run screaming if she knew the truth about me. Hell, even if she didn’t know it, I’d make sure she stayed far away from me. But fate has other plans. Our paths cross on the night of one of the worst storms of the century. It’s raining so hard that I can barely see two feet in front of my face, even with my powerful binoculars. The wind is strong enough to knock me over if I let it, and the waves are pounding against my boat with such force that I fear she won’t survive the night. Not that I care. The Sea Hawk has been my home for as long as I can remember, but she’s not what matters most to me right now. All that matters is her. I’ve been watching Miss Lily Thompson for months now—ever since she first got up in front of that damned camera and announced to the world that she was going to track me down and force me to tell her my story. I thought it was a bluff at first, some desperate attempt to get the attention of the public so that she could further her career as a journalist. And maybe it was—but then she started getting closer. And closer. Until now we’re both here in the middle of nowhere, braving the storm together in search of a hidden treasure that may or may not exist. Because I refuse to let her go it alone.

Mar 21

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Chapter OneCaptain MorganWe were never meant to be together. She’s a smart-mouthed journalist who’s just as stubborn as I am, and I’m a ruthless marauder with a dark past that would make her run screaming if she knew the truth about me. But she’s the only one who can help me find the treasure. And for the first time in my life, I’m not sure I want to be alone.The ocean’s a rough mistress, indifferent to the struggles of those who dare to challenge it. But her beauty is unrivaled and worth every sacrifice. Especially when I’m the one who gets to claim her.Lily ThompsonHe’s a reclusive billionaire who’s as damaged as he is handsome. And though he might be a pirate, I’m not willing to hand over my heart to him on a silver platter without a fight. Because love is something you have to work for, and I’m not afraid of a little hard work. Even if it kills me.I’m not cut out to be a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. But Alex is the only one who can save me when I’m taken hostage aboard our ship. And he just might be the one who steals my heart in the process.Captain MorganThe sea is a fickle mistress. One moment she’s gentle and inviting, her waves lapping at your feet like an old lover welcoming you home. But another moment and she’s cold, angry—her fury rising up to wreck havoc on all who dare to cross her path.I know this better than anyone. Her rage has been my closest companion for as long as I can remember.And it was on one of those darker nights, when she’d turned on me yet again in an effort to force me to surrender, that I met the woman who would ultimately change everything.The one who would bring me to my knees.We were never meant to be together. She’s a smart-mouthed journalist who’s just as stubborn as I am, and I’m a ruthless marauder with a dark past that would make her run screaming if she knew the truth about me. Hell, even if she didn’t know it, I’d make sure she stayed far away from me.But fate has other plans.Our paths cross on the night of one of the worst storms of the century. It’s raining so hard that I can barely see two feet in front of my face, even with my powerful binoculars. The wind is strong enough to knock me over if I let it, and the waves are pounding against my boat with such force that I fear she won’t survive the night.Not that I care. The Sea Hawk has been my home for as long as I can remember, but she’s not what matters most to me right now.All that matters is her.I’ve been watching Miss Lily Thompson for months now—ever since she first got up in front of that damned camera and announced to the world that she was going to track me down and force me to tell her my story.I thought it was a bluff at first, some desperate attempt to get the attention of the public so that she could further her career as a journalist. And maybe it was—but then she started getting closer.And closer.Until now we’re both here in the middle of nowhere, braving the storm together in search of a hidden treasure that may or may not exist.Because I refuse to let her go it alone.

The rain is coming down so hard that I can barely see a foot in front of my face, and the wind is making it hard to keep the engine running smoothly as we set off into the night. But even with the storm raging around us, I’m not about to let her give up on her search.Even if I know that the treasure she’s been hunting for is nothing but a pipe dream.“Captain Morgan, can you see anything?” Lily hollers from the back of the boat. She’s huddled in the small tent that I set up for her, though I can still see her dark hair blowing around her face as she tries to keep an eye on the compass.I don’t respond—partly because I’m angry and partly because it’s hard to hear over the sound of the storm, even with a boat as sturdy as mine. But her question isn’t why I’m still steaming with anger.Rather, it’s the fact that I’m still here at all. After everything that’s happened between us, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t have turned my boat around and headed out to sea long ago—leaving her behind to fend for herself.But I didn’t.I couldn’t.Because somewhere along the way, she got under my skin.

And now we’re stuck here, braving the elements as we crash through the waves in search of a treasure that probably doesn’t exist.But even though I’m not about to give up on Lily, that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed about the situation we’re in.“Captain Morgan, please!” she calls out again, trying to get me to respond. “This storm is really something! Be careful out there!”I barely contain a groan as another wave crashes against my boat.“This is a piece of crap,” I grumble under my breath as I fight to steady the engine and keep us on course.“I said please be careful!”“I’m trying!”“You better be!”I grit my teeth against her shrill tone.Lily might be giving me orders, but I’m the Captain of this boat and I’ll be damned if anyone—least of all an annoying journalist—is going to tell me how to do my job.“If you’re so worried about being out here, then maybe you should have thought twice about coming,” I snap as I push the throttle down and try to steer the boat through the rough water.“But I’m not worried about being out here,” she retorts just as loudly.The rain makes it impossible to see Lily’s face from where I’m standing, but I already know what kind of expression she’s wearing anyway—the same stubborn look she gets whenever someone tells her she can’t do something.

“At least not for me,” she adds after a moment.I can barely make her out in the darkness as she stands at the back of the boat, her long hair whipping around her face as the wind tries to knock her off her feet.I glance at her for a second before turning my attention back to the engine, realizing too late that this was probably a bad idea.Lily’s wearing a fitted jacket that clings to her body, and every time she moves her hips—Jesus Christ!What am I doing?This is not the time or place to be thinking about how good she looks right now.Lily might have legs for days and a killer body that makes me want to do very inappropriate things to her, but that doesn’t mean anything right now.

The ocean is no joke. It’s a cruel mistress who could take away everything you love in a heartbeat. If you don’t respect her power, you’re doomed.And right now, my focus should be on keeping us both alive and in one piece. Not on her sexy as hell figure.Even if it’s driving me crazy not being able to touch her.It takes a few minutes for me to finally fix the problem with the engine.But once that’s done, we’re able to get back on our way again.I can see an island in the distance now. And as we get closer, the ocean becomes less wild, the waves no longer crashing against our boat.I cut the engine when we reach a shallow area of water and jump overboard to tie a rope around a rock so that we can anchor there for a bit.“Do you think we’re close?”Lily asks.

I turn to look at her and freeze.She’s taken off the life jacket she’d been wearing earlier.And her wet T-shirt is now clinging to her body in such a way that I can see the outline of her nipples.Fuck.I’m so hard right now that it’s painful.I want to drag her into my arms and kiss her.But I can’t.I have more important things to focus on right now.Like keeping us both alive.“Safety is a relative term,” I finally say.“Are we close?”she asks again.I nod.“But my uncle said—”“I don’t care what your uncle said,” I snap.“And I told you not to listen to him.”“I know,” she says.“And I don’t.”She narrows her eyes at me and I wonder if she knows just how much she’s affecting me right now.How much I want her.Because I sure as hell don’t know if I can keep my hands off of her for much longer.But she turns away from me before I can make up my mind one way or the other.And I’m secretly glad because I’m not sure what I would have done if she’d stayed looking at me like that.Determined… and maybe a little bit angry too.Instead, she climbs into the boat and sits in the driver’s seat.“I know you don’t believe me,” she says.“But there was a reason why he wanted us to go there.”I climb into the boat too and sit down next to her.“I’m only here because you paid me.”“I know,” she says again.I turn my head so that I’m looking at her out of the corner of my eye.And I can tell by the look on her face that she realizes just how much danger we’re in right now.It doesn’t take a genius to realize what a mistake it was for me to come here with her.

The wind has died down now, but the rain is still pouring down on us as we make our way toward the island.It’s only a few hundred feet away from where we’d anchored the boat.But it feels like a million miles in the darkness of the night.And I have no idea what we’re going to find when we get there.All I know is that whatever it is had better be worth the trip.Chapter TwoLilyMorgan doesn’t say anything else as we make our way toward the island in the middle of the night.His dark eyes are fixed on the ocean in front of us, his mind seemingly elsewhere.But I can tell by the lines of his face that he’s worried about what we’re going to find when we get there.He’s worried about me too.He’d thought I was crazy when I’d first come to him with my uncle’s plan for me.But he’d taken the job anyway because I’d paid him enough money that he couldn’t refuse it.Too much money for someone like him, he’d said when he’d first met me out at the docks a few days ago.Someone like me?I’d asked, confused by his words even then.Someone who gets seasick every time they’re out on the water, he’d said with a smile.You said you were looking for treasure?

That had been the plan.He was still staring at me. “That plan is going to have to change. I have no idea what you’re up to, but the engines are shot.”I groaned. “We can fix them, though. Right?” Desperation edged my voice. “This is the right island.”“Maybe this is the right island,” he said slowly. “But if we’re going to make it there and back, we’re going to have to go slow.”“Then that’s what we’ll do.” I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat. The sun had long since set, and darkness crept toward us like a predator.I turned back to Tyler again.He was watching me with a critical look in his eyes.“What?” I snapped. His gaze unnerved me.“I’m not stupid. I know what you’re doing here.” I narrowed my eyes at him, even as I felt a flicker of fear. “And I’m not just talking about the treasure hunt.”“So why did you take the job?” I asked.He shrugged. “Like I said, too much money for someone like me.”I didn’t know what he meant by that and I didn’t care to find out.I licked my lips nervously.“So…how long until we get there?”The heaviness of his gaze made me feel like a child being scolded by his father.“We’ll be lucky to get there by morning.” He turned back to the controls.My mouth fell open in horror.